


Stay Safe Out There

by Maya_Koppori



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-23 16:18:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4883521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maya_Koppori/pseuds/Maya_Koppori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something I scribbled down a while back on tumblr. When Five takes a hard hit in the field, they find themselves once again on the receiving end of Abel's famed hospitality.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay Safe Out There

You’re sure you’re safe until the zombie in the Harry Potter t-shirt takes a swipe at you. You go down, tucking and rolling up to your feet with your shoulder screaming at you. Thank God it didn’t break the skin, but a blunt punch from a zom followed by a front shoulder roll on uneven earth has made it hurt like the devil and every step jars it further.

“Sam!” you bark into your headset. “Calm down and tell me where to go!”

You hear your Operator wheezing back in Abel, trying to collect himself enough to save your life. You know it’s bad enough to think in those terms; you’ve stumbled into a nest of at least twenty, which the both of you would have noticed and stared clear of if it hadn’t been for the dozen fast zoms at your back. The woods are treacherous to navigate, but Sam had been convinced that a quick dip in the trees would lose the fast swarm.

He was wrong.

“Okay, okay,” Sam says. “So we’ve got the twelve to the north, and you’re in the middle of another twenty-five… No, better make that thirty. Yeah, we should probably get you away from those.”

You resist the urge to roll your eyes and wait impatiently for a proper direction. Seeing a heavy branch near your head, you grab onto it without slowing down. You’d intended to take it as a weapon of last resort, but your injured shoulder burns in protest and you let go. It snaps back against the Harry Potter zom, sending it crashing into the others.

“Ooh, I caught that on camera. Nice work, Five. They’re back another ten paces, and you can outrun them easy from here. There’s a bit of a path just to your right. It should get you out in the open again.”

You grit your teeth, tensing your shoulder to keep it still. A slight change in direction finds you on a narrow trail, and you follow it. “I’m hurt, Sam. I need out of here now.”

“Oh God…” Doctor Myers’ voice surprises you. She’d been gone for a while, presumably to ask one of her assistants how many bandages they had left. Oh, that’s right. This was supposed to be a meds run. Funny how little things like that become trivial when the undead are around. “Runner Five, are you…?”

“No!” You break through the tree line with five zoms snapping at your heels. “I’m not going grey, but my shoulder is going to kill me if these zoms don’t.” It’s not good for you to waste your breath like this, especially while you’re in pain. There’s a possibility you’ve already dislocated your shoulder. “Sam, please, I need help!”

Sam is busy arguing with Maxine. “I know Runner Five wouldn’t come back if…!”

“But it’s always a possibility-!”

“Maxine, I swear to God if you-!”

You curse loudly and chance a look behind you. You can outrun the zoms at this pace, but can you keep it up all the way back to Abel? Your township is only a smudge on the plains from where you’re standing, and the pain is growing every second. “ _Hello_!!”

Sam and Maxine’s voices cease.

“If you two don’t mind, I need a status report  _now_ , after which I will  _SWITCH MY HEADSET TO THE RADIO_  if you do not  _STOP SCREAMING IN MY EARS.”_

“… You’re clear all the way, Runner Five,” Maxine says finally. You feel a pang of guilt. You’ve never yelled at Sam before. He must be pretty shocked if Maxine was able to answer you first.

“Affirmative,” you pant. “Call in for some good running for your life music, would you?”

“Roger.” Sam’s voice sounds distant on your headset. “We’ll get you cover fire and send Runners Three and Four out with noise makers to draw them away from the township. Keep running at that pace and check in after three songs for a report. Starting radio mode.”

Thank you Steve Jobs, indeed, you think to yourself. Though you can still hear the zoms lumbering along a good fifty paces behind you, most of the moans and shuffles have been drowned out by three straight plays of Eye of the Tiger. Abel is now dead ahead and you can see your backup running at you from two directions. You mentally apologize to Survivor as well as Jack and Eugene before cutting them off.

“-in, Runner Five! Can you hear us?”

“Of course,” you hear Simon scoff. “Not that we’ll get an answer from the great, taciturn, immovable-”

“I’m right here, Simon, reading you loud and clear.”

“-dashing and courageous Runner Five,” Simon finishes quickly.

Somehow you bark a laugh into your headset. “It’s about time you showed up, Simon. Jody.”

“Well, we got into a bit of a kerfuffle with Maxine, didn’t we?” Jody exclaims. “She seemed convinced that you were going to die, but Sam wouldn’t hear any of it.”

You miss a step and lurch forward, losing ground before you find your balance.

“Alright there, Five?” Simon says cautiously. “Not starting to shamble, are you?”

“Don’t be daft!” Sam’s voice answers before you have a chance. He sounds hoarse. “Runner Five, get ready to move. Change direction now so you’ll be on the outside- the zoms should keep going after Simon and Jody. Just get those noisemakers going, guys. On my mark…” He waits until you and the others are close, and shouts, “Now!”

Jody and Simon smile at you before darting off in different directions. You switch places with Simon and look over your shoulder. You’re now on the far side, barreling toward Abel while the others lead the horde in a tandem line away from the base.

“Good work, runners,” Doc Myers says. “Runner Five, I’ll be meeting you just inside the gates.” Her voice takes on a warning tone. “Once you get to the gate, you’re going to have to stop running and throw your pack in ahead of you, including your weapons.”

You grit your teeth. Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be. You fight down the outrage that’s threatening to spill out.

“Do you read me, Runner Five?”

“Loud and clear,” you growl. You rip your headpiece off and slow to a jog. Time to count. One knife in your boot. One baseball bat tucked into the loop of your pack. There had to be one more thing. You never leave the base without at least three differing weapons.

With a sick churning of your stomach, you remember your prize from last week’s meds run; Jody found the taser under a pile of rubble, and with Janine’s help you got it working again. It was turned off and strapped to your uninjured upper arm. It’s not clear to you if it would actually be effective against the undead, but you’ve been sleeping safer at night with it by your side.

You really, really don’t want to give it up. And, you realize, you can’t. Your shoulder protests at the mere suggestion.

Sighing, you slow even more and walk up to the gate. There’s no danger from the horde anymore; they’re off chasing Jody and Simon. The gate rumbles, sirens blaring, and slowly rises.

You meet not just the Doctor, but two armed guards with- good God- actual assault rifles hoisted onto their shoulder and aimed right at you.

“Throw the supplies, Runner Five,” Doctor Myers shouts over the sirens as they cut out.

“I still have a weapon,” you reluctantly inform her. “It’s strapped to my arm and I can’t undo the binding.”

Maxine stares at you warily. “Not that taser?”

“Yeah.” You give her a one-shouldered shrug. “If it’s any consolation, I really can’t reach it. You’d be on me before I could so much as get it unhooked.”

The guards exchange a look, and you groan. “Can you please just check me out now?” You wriggle out of your pack, careful of your arm, and give it a few swings before sending it flying at Maxine.

She catches it with an “oomph,” which you can’t help but appreciate. She has no idea how much you can carry.

“Keep your hands in front of you where they can see,” Maxine warns. You nod and comply, stepping inside the gateway. The portcullis slams closed behind you with a clang. No turning back now, even if you wanted to.

“What’s up, Doc?” you joke as she approaches you. “I haven’t gone grey, and even if I had I wouldn’t be trying to eat you yet.”

Maxine says nothing. The only sound is the snap as she dons her latex gloves. She’s all clinical detachment as she moves to your side and rolls up your sleeve.

You hiss, and her touch becomes gentler. She probes the bruised skin, looking for any opening for the contagion. You don’t dare look, feeling the eyes of the guards boring into you, but you can tell that your shoulder is severely hurt.

“Dislocated,” Maxine mutters. She adjusts her glasses and looks up at you with something akin to sympathy. “Bite this. I’m sorry.” She carefully inserts a clean rag between your teeth, places a hand on each side of your arm and  _twists_.

Her grip is the only thing that keeps you on your feet. The sirens start wailing again- or no, that’s the scream that just tore from your throat and is ricocheting off the portcullis grate. The hands mercifully leave you and you crumble, sobs wrenching around the fabric that pools in your mouth. You taste blood.

“All clear.” You barely hear Maxine’s voice over your own labored breathing. “Get a stretcher to the clinic.”

“Aye, ma'am.”

You’re lifted carefully. Through the tears now trapped in your eyes, you blink up at the sky. The fire in your veins is cooling slowly as feeling returns to your fingertips. You’re not screaming anymore, so why is it so loud?

Another voice now, getting clearer. “-totally unnecessary, Maxine! You could have done that in the clinic, given Runner Five some warning!”

“Mr. Yao,” you hear very close by. “Keep your distance. You need to bring the others in.”

“But I-!”

“Janine’s right, Sam,” the guard carrying the top of the stretcher snaps. “If you want, grab Five’s pack. We’ll send someone to retrieve it later.”

 _Sam._  You listen, uncomprehending, to his outraged cursing grow softer and more distant. The relief from the pain is threatening to drag you under, and for once you let it. You’re still angry and hurt enough to fight it, but you know you don’t need to. There’s someone nearby who’s already mad enough for the both of you.

* * *

 

You come to in the infirmary with no sense of how long you’ve been there. On instinct you reach for your taser but your arm is in a tight sling. Wouldn’t matter anyway. Your shirt’s been changed, the weapon gone. You look around. Maxine is off to your right, scribbling something at her desk. You make a confused noise and she turns.

“Oh. You’re awake.” She brushes eraser bits off of her hands and takes a chair at your bedside. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a zom tried to eat my arm,” you answer, dazed. “How long was I out?”

“Only an hour or two. Sorry I couldn’t give you any pain meds, but you were out cold and all I have reserved for adults are pills.”

You laugh humorlessly. “That’s alright. I hope you didn’t break my new toy.”

Maxine wrinkles her nose. “It’s with your things. Sam brought your pack over just a few minutes ago.” She paused, as if debating what to say next. “He wasn’t very happy with me. So what about you?”

“Ugh.” You flex your shoulder and wince. “You fixed me, right?”

She nods. “To the best of my ability. I… Could have been gentler.”

You shake your head. “It’s rough, being on the receiving end of Abel hospitality. But I understand why it’s necessary.” You reach to touch her shoulder. “Thanks, Doc.”

She chokes up a little at that, and you’re no statue yourself. The two of you sit for a moment in silence, reassuring yourselves that this hasn’t ruined your friendship. You’re both doing your jobs as best you can.

“Take it easy for the next two weeks or so,” Maxine advises as she gives you your pack and a little white pill. “No runs, no heavy lifting. And keep me updated.”

You knock back the bitter pill and groan, licking your lips. You’d needed water more than you realized. You help yourself to the rest of the tall plastic cup. “What am I supposed to do, then? I thought everyone had to earn their keep.”

Maxine snorts. “You’ve earned more than enough for awhile, Five. If you get really bored, I could always use an extra hand around here. Or you could see Jack about a guest appearance on the radio show. They need a change of pace.”

You promise you’ll think about it and head out into camp. As nice as the infirmary is compared to most compounds on the base, it’s nice to get some air.

And, after all, there’s someone you need to see about.

You pass Simon and Jody on your way to the comm’s shack. Simon high fives you and roughs you up a little. “Look out, Jody, we’ve got a potential zom here!”

Jody smacks him in the arm hard enough to make you both cringe. “Don’t even joke about that!” She turns to you, concerned. “Are you sure you’re alright, Runner Five? Sam said that the doctor took care of you, but that was quite a stretch back there.”

You wave her off, touched by her concern. “I’m fine. Did you say you’d seen Sam? I was just on my way to talk to him.”

Simon shakes his head. “Oh, you won’t find him in the shack. He’s gone to get some rest.”

You frown. It’s not like Sam to cut out in the middle of the day, even if there aren’t any runs scheduled. He must have been more shaken up than you thought.

You make a noncommittal noise. “Huh. I guess I should leave him be, then.”

“ _No!_ ” Jody and Simon cry in unison, shock on their faces.

“No?”

“ _So_  dense,” Simon says to Jody, as if affirming something they had already discussed.

Jody sighs and smiles sadly at you. “You should really go see him. He’s not coming out of there for a while on his own.”

Dread trickles down your spine as you look from one of your comrades to the other, finally taking in what you hadn’t noticed under all the teasing and banter. Jody’s eyes are swollen and puffy, and Simon’s nose glows pink. They’d both been crying.

Your words of parting are barely out before you’re off, to blazes with Maxine’s warning, and you don’t slow down until you’ve reached Sam’s tent. You don’t announce yourself before sweeping aside the flap and ducking inside.

Sam’s cot faces the back of the tent. He doesn’t turn to face you, but groans loudly enough that you know he’s not asleep. “You tosser. I told you, I’m fine. I just need some… Sleep.” The last word comes out a surprised squeak as he looks over his shoulder at you and sits bolt upright. “Five! Oh my God, you’re… Oh my God.”

“Sam,” you say, confused. “What is it? Is everything alright?”

He barks out a laugh, short and sharp. “Is everything alright?” he repeats incredulously. “ _You’re_  asking  _me_?”

“… I suppose so.” You take the initiative to cross the distance between you and take a seat on the edge of the cot, facing him. “Jody and Simon said you were upset.”

Sam blinks at you and laughs, for real this time. “Well that’s a bit of an understatement, isn’t it?” Suddenly he’s all but crushing you in a hug, though you notice he’s careful of your arm. “Don’t ever let me go through something like that again, okay?”

“You?” You try to relax a little. Hugging isn’t really your thing, but you’ve gotten better. At least, you think you have. You don’t try to knock people out anymore if they touch you without permission. With your free arm you pat his back awkwardly. “What happened to you, Sam?”

He gives you the same almost appalled look that Jody and Simon gave you. “What happened? You could have  _died_ , that’s what happened! All those zoms, and then your injury, and Doc with all her talk about you going grey, and, well,” he says, averting his eyes. “That bit where you started yelling, which, by the way, none of us have ever heard you do, and then they went and pointed  _guns_  at you!” Sam shakes his head. “Five, do you know how many times I thought you were going to  _die_  today?” His voice breaks on that word.

Oh.  _Oh_.

You really are dense.

Sam’s shaking when you bundle him in your arms as best you can. “Hey,” you whisper. “I’m right here. I’m not dead, not grey, and not doing anything at all dangerous for at least two weeks.” You smile ruefully. “Doctor’s orders.”

He groans. “Don’t talk to me about Maxine right now.”

“You know as well as I do that she was following procedure.”

“Well it’s a bloody stupid procedure!” Sam looks up at you and you suddenly remember the way his voice sounded on your headset, arguing with Maxine on your behalf; and again, right before you passed out. You realize he was most definitely right inside the inner gate waiting for Maxine to let you through.

“You wouldn’t come back to Abel infected, and everyone here knows it,” Sam says quietly. “It’s bad enough we have to fight zombies. If they don’t trust you, who can they trust?” He curls in on himself further. “Is that how it’s going to be now? Taking every precaution against your only friends, holding guns to their heads on a daily basis, not really ever trusting anyone again?”

You don’t know what to say to that. You just sit with him and let him cling to you.

“You know,” you say after awhile. “Before this? I didn’t really have very many friends.”

Sam snorts. “What, you? Impossible.”

You smile. “Shut up Yao, I’m trying to have a moment. My point is, even though I didn’t have anyone I could trust before, well, before Day Zero, I do now.” You push Sam back enough so he can look at you. “So it looks like even the zombie apocalypse can’t put a lid on society completely. Even if I yell, or wind up in some sticky situation, you have to know that. If there’s anyone I can trust in this crazy world to keep me safe out there, it’s you.” You playfully punch his arm. “You’re my Operator.”

Sam grins at you like you’ve just handed him an ice cream roll for Christmas. “And you’re my Runner.” He returns the friendly punch.

“Sam!”

“Sorry,  _sorry!!_ ”


End file.
